Women In Leadership

Funny story: shortly after launching my podcast, I shared the first episode on Facebook.  It was an interview about unconscious bias. The first person to comment, a woman I didn’t know, wrote, “You are mansplaining.”

The comment caught me by surprise. What I had shared was an interview with a female executive coach. I asked questions. She answered. I listened. Yet I was being accused of mansplaining.

Then it occurred to me. The person commenting must have thought that I was doing a monologue or being interviewed. A simple misunderstanding that prompted an accusation.

As I wrestled with how to reply, I remembered an old truism: If you can’t think of an appropriate word, invent a new one. So I wrote, “Actually, I’m manquiring. I ask the questions. My female guests do the explaining.”

That’s how things roll in this series.

Except for episode 72. When I asked Hilary Bradbury to talk about #MeToo, she said, “Yes, but on one condition. I want a man to join me.” And so he did.

By the way, back when I coached leaders, my clientele was roughly half women and half men.

Here’s the series on Women in Leadership—and a couple short posts with my own take.